


Sleeping At Last

by whatsyourask



Category: Mr. Robot (TV)
Genre: Angst, Confessions, Everyone Is Alive, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Slow Burn, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, post 404, tyrelliot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2021-02-24 00:22:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23133880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatsyourask/pseuds/whatsyourask
Summary: Part 2 of my 404 Fix-It. Darlene drops Elliot and Tyrell off in the city. There's a snowstorm. Tyrell fixes Elliot's radiator. Everyone is warm and sleepy.
Relationships: Elliot Alderson & Tyrell Wellick, Elliot Alderson/Tyrell Wellick
Comments: 6
Kudos: 82





	Sleeping At Last

**Author's Note:**

> Set right after my previous fic 'In The Dread of Night', I just couldn't let it go! Clearly I've been listening to lots of Sleeping At Last and Death Cab. Speaking of, the band t-shirt moment is totally inspired by someone else's fic. I'd love to credit them but I can't find it for the life of me.  
> Btw, thanks so much for your kudos on my previous work, it was my first one ever and that means so much to me.  
> Update: there's a part 3 to this called Dinner and a Movie!

Elliot's woken up by someone nudging his shoulder. He opens his eyes but refuses to move. He's always enjoyed the limbo between sleep and waking. He'd rather pretend the world didn't exist for a few more moments. Sooner than he'd like, Elliot's consciousness returns and he realizes he's not in his bed. In fact, he's sitting down and his neck hurts. 

"Wakey wakey." He hears Darlene, her voice coming from too far away for her to be the one tapping his shoulder. 

The memories of last night hit Elliot all at once. He feels cold remembering the night in the woods, although he's warm now. The warmth, of course, radiating from the body Elliot's leaning into. He finally lifts his head, already knowing who he's about to face. 

"Hey," Tyrell whispers, a small (shy?) smile playing on his lips, one hand still on Elliot's shoulder, the other arm wrapped around his waist. Elliot stays still for a few moments, just until the remnants of his slumber fade away. Then he grows aware of Darlene's presence and shifts away so he's no longer pressed to Tyrell. He meets his sister's eyes in the rear-view mirror; Darlene puts on a smile and speaks up.

"Goody, we're awake. I'm not taking any risks so I'll have to drop you off here. We're a few blocks away from your apartment. Get some sleep, big day tomorrow." Right, the foreign bank's servers they're hacking first thing in the morning. Just another day with the Aldersons. 

Elliot barely nods at her, meets Tyrell's eyes once more as if to say goodbye and steps out of the car. Hit by cold, he immediately wishes for the warmth he just left behind. He shakes away that thought as he crosses his arms and strides away.

Looks like it's snowed a lot throughout the night and it's still going so Elliot pulls his hood up. Being back in the city reminds him of life beyond the night in the woods which felt like a lifetime on a different planet. Elliot's mind whirs as he tries to make sense of what had happened between him and Tyrell. He can't deny that what they shared back there felt... intimate. Yet, so normal and fitting at the same time. He can't deny he's never felt as safe as being in the other man's arms. 

Earlier that night Elliot told Tyrell he never cared about him. And yet, when he thought Tyrell might've been killed back there, all he felt was fear and panic. A literal panic attack, through which he was comforted by none other than Tyrell himself. Unconditionally. Elliot despises being touched, but he's making his way home, arms crossed tight against his chest, wishing it was the embrace of somebody else's.

"Elliot, wait up!" Tyrell's voice stops Elliot's train of thought. He turns around and watches the man catch up to him. 

"Can I.. walk you home?" Tyrell asks while wrapping his unbuttoned coat around him, snow melting in his hair. Tyrell doesn't elaborate, just waits for Elliot to respond. 

"Oh- kay.." Elliot is confused by Tyrell's reappearance but feels pleased about the familiarity of them silently walking side by side again. 

The walk is short and they reach Elliot's building in no time, both of their shoulders coated with snow. They stop at the bottom of the steps facing each other. Not knowing what to say, Elliot watches a snowplow slowly push down the street. When his gaze returns to Tyrell he sees him pocketing his phone. 

"Sutherland will be here in 5," Tyrell explains and it takes Elliot a moment to remember that's Tyrell's brooding driver. "Darlene told me about your plan tomorrow while you slept in the car. Sounds... heist-y," Tyrell let out a chuckle. "Go rest." He motions towards the entrance to the building. 

Tyrell keeps wiping snow off his face, his hands almost blue now. 

"You should come wait inside." Elliot's voice echoes in his own ears, it's probably the most words he's said in a while. He starts climbing the stairs up to his main door, not looking back, but expecting Tyrell to follow. 

Surely, Tyrell walks behind Elliot up to his apartment. The door is slightly ajar, taking both men back to the beginning of the night. _Tyrell at Elliot's desk, waiting to tell him he'd been made CTO._ They both look at the open door and Elliot casts a look at Tyrell who puts his hands up in the air.

"Hey, I didn't actually break the lock." He states defensively. Elliot rolls his eyes without saying anything. Frankly, he's tired of people breaking into his apartment every other day. 

Elliot shuts the door behind them and walks over to his bed to turn a floor lamp on. The dim light reveals his organized mess of an apartment. Elliot doesn't know what to do about Tyrell being here, or why he invited him in the first place. 

"Um, I gotta shower," He mumbles as he grabs clean clothes and closes the bathroom door behind him. Normally he wouldn't bother showering being this tired, but his body is frozen to the bone. That, and he also needs an excuse to get away and not be awkward around the man inside his apartment. _Tyrell's being picked up in a minute, he'll be gone soon,_ Elliot assures himself, still questioning his decision to have him here. He turns up the water temperature nearly all the way up and feels himself defrost. 

The hot shower makes him more sleepy if that's even possible at this point. He heads towards his bed when he realizes Tyrell is still here. Elliot hoped he would be gone by now, yet he's glad to see him at the same time. He can't quite make out what Tyrell's doing though... The guy's dressed down to his work shirt, sleeves rolled up, sitting on the floor with his back to Elliot. 

"Tyrell? What are you doing?"

Tyrell turns around and Elliot sees a bunch of tools lying around and his toolbox next to Tyrell. Elliot gives him a questioning look. "Hey, yeah um.. I'm fixing your radiator." 

"Right..." Elliot is even more confused. 

"Well, I noticed it's freezing in your apartment, then realized this thing is stone cold. Which lead me searching for your toolbox, so here we are," Tyrell points at the tools surrounding him. "It's all fixed now. Warming up already," Tyrell taps the radiator and stands back up. 

Elliot is taken aback. This feels just as real as that one time he dreamt of going grocery shopping with Leon. And yet, this _is_ real. His apartment feels warm, which makes a change for once. 

"Thanks.. for doing that." 

"Don't mention it," Tyrell smiles and continues. "Also, my ride's stuck because of the snowstorm. I'll ring a taxi." He explains while he puts the tools back in the box, then takes out his phone and starts dialing. 

Elliot looks out the window, it's so snowy he can barely make out the street lights. For the second time tonight, he speaks before he thinks.

"You can stay the night."

"Oh... I don't want to be an inconvenience." Tyrell states, sounding surprised and unsure. 

"You're not an inconvenience, Tyrell." The confidence in Elliot's voice makes Tyrell hang up his phone. 

Elliot takes that as an agreement and goes over to his dresser to find a clean t-shirt and a pair of joggers - a similar ensemble to what he is wearing now. He hands the clothes to Tyrell, whose face lights up once he unfolds the T-shirt.

"Oh, I love Death Cab." He says before going to the bathroom to change. Elliot didn't realize he gave him a band tee. Also, he would've never taken Tyrell for a Death Cab for Cutie kind of guy. Elliot leaves a spare pillow and a blanket on the couch for Tyrell and goes over to his bed.

A moment later, Tyrell comes out of the bathroom and the sight of him in Elliot's clothes makes Elliot feel some kind of way. He shakes the thought away. When he sees Tyrell all settled in on the couch, he leans over the bed to turn off the light. 

"Good night, Elliot." He hears Tyrell say when the room goes dark and lets the sleep swallow him. 

Except that the sleep won't come. Elliot is drained both mentally and physically, yet his eyes are wide open, staring into the blackness of his ceiling. He wants to sleep so bad he could cry. He wishes he could doze off as effortlessly as he had done in the back of the car, next to Tyrell. Right, _Tyrell_. Elliot heard Tyrell shuffle and the couch creak a few times, but he could be sleeping for all he knows. Elliot tries anyway. 

"Tyrell? You asleep?"

Tyrell answers a moment later from the couch, his voice raspy and low with a hint of worry. "Nah I'm awake. You okay?" 

Elliot stays quiet and shifts so he's lying on his side, face pressed to the pillow. 

"Can't sleep?" Tyrell tries again, probably sitting up now as his voice comes out clearer. Elliot hopes his silence is enough of an indication. 

"Is anything on your mind? Are you worried about tomorrow?" 

The tenderness in Tyrell's voice makes Elliot's heart sink. He's done absolutely nothing to this man to deserve the care he's received. Elliot opens his eyes and gazes out the window. The storm has calmed down, it's snowing scarcely, looks peaceful now. The sight lulls his mind to settle on one thing. Perhaps, it's the comfort of darkness or not having a face-to-face contact that pushes him to speak.

"Tyrell, what I said back there, about not caring about you," The words sting his throat, but they keep coming. "I didn't mean any of it," Elliot lets out a shuddering breath and squeezes his eyes shut to stop the tears from coming. "It's hard for me to articulate or admit those kinds of things... to myself even. When I heard the gunshots... I thought you were dead. Everyone I care about dies." He lets the tears spill out now, buries his head into the pillow again, clutching it tight to his face. 

Next thing he knows, a hesitant hand comes to rest on his fist. He didn't hear Tyrell get up from the couch, but he's kneeling next to the bed now. Elliot lifts his head and stares into Tyrell's eyes. He can just about make out his face in the dark, through his blurred vision.

"I'm here Elliot," He whispers assuringly and unfolds Elliot's fist from gripping the pillow, takes his hand and slowly intertwines their fingers. "And I'm not going anywhere. You know I'll always be there for you." He states matter-of-factly and wipes Elliot's tears away ever so gently. 

Elliot moves his head and rests his forehead against their intertwined hands. He feels his jumble of emotions subside. He lets Tyrell slowly caress his face which puts his mind at rest. He could almost sleep...

"Please, can you sleep _here_ ," Elliot asks quietly without looking Tyrell in the eyes. 

Wordlessly, Tyrell motions Elliot to scoot over and gets under the covers next to him. They lie facing each other for a few moments. Without thinking, Elliot reaches out his hand and grips a fistful of Tyrell's shirt, as if to make sure he's really here. Tyrell's the one to close the gap between them, he tugs at Elliot's waist and pulls him to his chest.

"Is this okay?" Tyrell whispers and Elliot hums in agreement, nuzzling his face into Tyrell's neck, halfway to a restful daze.  
  
Tyrell tightens his grip on Elliot, one arm holding him by the waist, the other hand softly scratching the nape of his neck, making Elliot drift further away into slumber. When Elliot feels Tyrell's lips press to the top of his head, he finds there is hope of sleeping, here in his arms.

At last.


End file.
